Recycled losing major party nominees have won just 17 of 92 U.S. House races in Iowa history in subsequent races, with those running for a third time winless in nine attempts

Iowa's 2014 elections for the U.S. House of Representatives are turning out to be races to watch once again.

In 2012, after new district lines were created and a seat was lost due to reapportionment, each Hawkeye State congressional race was decided by 15 points or less - for the first time since 1936, when each of Iowa's nine races for the lower legislative chamber were decided by less than 12 points.

In 2014, there will be two open seat races in the 1st and 3rd CDs, with Democrat Bruce Braley running for the U.S. Senate and GOPer Tom Latham retiring at the end of his 10th term.

And now, with the abrupt resignation last week of Mariannette Miller-Meeks as Director of Iowa's Department of Public Health, comes the news from Governor Terry Branstad that she will likely run for Congress in the state's 2nd CD.

For the third time.

Miller-Meeks previously ran for the 2nd CD seat against Democrat Dave Loebsack in 2008 and 2010.

So will the third time be a charm?

A Smart Politics review of Iowa election data finds that major party nominees who lost their first two races for the U.S. House were defeated the third time they received their party's nomination in all nine attempts.

(Note: The data in this report excludes attempts by members of Congress to win back their seat after losing at the ballot box as an incumbent).

Miller-Meeks lost to Loebsack by 18.4 points six years ago with 38.8 percent of the vote in her debut run for Congress.

She then challenged the Democrat two years later during the Republican tsunami of 2010 - but still lost by 5.1 points with 45.9 percent.

Losing Democratic and Republican challengers have frequently received a second chance in U.S. House races over the decades.

In fact, of the more than 660 contests for the chamber in Iowa history, 92 have featured a major party candidate making his or her second, third, or even fourth attempt to win their first ever congressional seat, or about one such candidate out of every seven races.

Of these 92 bids, however, just 17 were successful, or 18.5 percent.

Iowa's Democratic and Republican parties have both frequently recycled challengers over the last quarter-century, with 10 such candidates since 1988.

None, however, were successful.

In addition to Miller-Meeks (2008, 2010), Republican challengers over the past 25 years making their second appearance on the general ballot include Ben Lange in the 1st CD (2010, 2012), Stan Thompson in the 2nd (2002, 2004), and Paul Lunde in the 4th (1988, 1992).

The Democratic list is even longer with Joyce Schultz in the 5th CD (2004, 2006), Donna Smith in the 2nd (1996, 2000), Bob Rush in the 1st (1996, 1998), Elaine Baxter in the 3rd (1992, 1994), Eric Tabor in the 2nd (1986, 1988, 1990), and Bill Gluba in the 1st (1982, 1988, 2004).

The last major party candidate to win a U.S. House seat the second time around was Republican Jim Leach in 1976.

Leach lost to Democratic incumbent Edward Mezvinsky by 8.8 points in 1974 in the 1st CD, but was successful two years later when he defeated Mezvinsky by 4.1 points.

Leach's perseverance paid off to the tune of 15 terms in Congress before losing to Loebsack in 2006.

Other candidates to win a U.S. House seat from Iowa the second time they received their party's nomination over the last half-century are:

Leffingwell also lost on his fourth attempt carrying the Democratic banner in the 2nd CD in 1872.

Carter unsuccessfully contested his 1.4-point loss to Karl Le Compte in 1956 but would then receive his fourth nomination by the Democrats in 1958.

Carter won that 4th CD race against John Kyl by 4.0 points, however, as fate would have it, he would die after just 10 months in office in 1959.

As for Miller-Meeks, can she get closer to victory if she runs and wins the GOP nomination later this year?

To do so, she will have to first contend with State Representative Mark Lofgren who is also seeking the GOP nomination in the race.

If Miller-Meeks wins the nomination, the district lines of the 2nd CD have changed slightly in GOP's favor since the last time she ran - moving from a D+7 district in 2010 to D+4 today.

But will district residents take a third look at a candidate who they twice sent down to defeat?

Iowa U.S. House hopefuls have not had much luck winning over new voters on third attempt (averaging 40.8 percent of the vote) compared to their second (40.6 percent) and first (42.7 percent) times on the ballot.

Collin Peterson remarked last month that he is leaning to run for reelection to Minnesota's 7th Congressional District in 2016. If he does and is victorious, he will creep even closer to the top of the list of the longest-serving U.S. Representatives in Minnesota history. The DFL congressman is only the sixth Minnesotan to win at least 13 terms to the U.S. House of the 135 elected to the chamber in state history. Peterson trails 18-term DFLer Jim Oberstar (1975-2011), 16-term Republicans Harold Knutson (1917-1949) and August Andresen (1925-1933; 1935-1958), and 14-term DFLers Martin Sabo (1979-2007) and John Blatnik (1947-1974). Andresen died in office, Sabo and Blatnik retired, and Knutson and Oberstar were defeated at the ballot box in 1948 and 2010 respectively. At 70 years, 7 months, 11 days through Monday, Peterson is currently the ninth oldest Gopher State U.S. Representative in history. DFLer Rick Nolan of the 8th CD is the seventh oldest at 71 years, 1 month, 23 days.

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